NEW YORK — An English band steeped in harmony, a reggae pioneer, progressive rockers who thrived despite a defection, four Swedes who combined their nation's traditions with their rock heroes and a man who prowled a ballroom floor singing "I Wanna Be Your Dog" wouldn't seem to have much in common.

For a night they did, as The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis, ABBA and Iggy Pop's Stooges accepted induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday — a ceremony almost as notable for who wasn't there as who was.

ABBA sold 100 million records with hits such as "Waterloo," "Dancing Queen" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You" before disbanding in 1982. Songwriter Benny Andersson described how the melancholy of the "vodka belt" so far north, the pre-rock era music they heard on Swedish radio and the songs of their rock 'n' roll heroes all found their way into ABBA's material.

Andersson and ex-wife Anni-Frid Lyngstad attended the ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Agnetha Faltskog, who has a fear of flying, and Bjorn Ulvaeus, who had a family commitment, did not.

"I'm old enough to admit to the fact that I think we did a great job," Lyngstad said.

Keep that in the past tense: Lyngstad told the audience that ABBA would never perform again. She brought along her grandson, a heavy metal musician who nonetheless appreciates grandma's music. Actress Meryl Streep, who was in the "Mamma Mia" movie that introduced ABBA's music to a new generation and older ones that didn't pay attention at the time, was also there.

The audience at the Waldorf and watching on the Fuse TV network got one-fourth of ABBA on stage. Andersson played piano as country star Faith Hill sang "The Winner Takes It All".

Genesis had two distinct incarnations. They were a fixture of Britain's progressive rock scene in the 1970s, known as much for lead singer Peter Gabriel's theatricality as the music. When Gabriel quit, the band put drummer Phil Collins in front of the microphone and they became regulars on the pop charts.

Phish paid tribute to both Genesis generations, performing the meandering "Watcher of the Skies" and the pop hit "No Reply At All."

Gabriel was missing from the ceremony. Former bandmate Mike Rutherford said Gabriel sent his apologies, but he was preparing for a tour.

The Hollies also had two lives. Music historian and Bruce Springsteen guitarist Steve Van Zandt said singers Allan Clarke and Graham Nash's "exquisite English harmonies were second, or shared only by the Beatles. Clarke and Nash harmonised again on two of their best-known early hits, "Bus Stop" and "Carrie-Anne."

"The Hollies, after I left in 1968, had the audacity, the gall, to have three No. 1 records after I left," Nash joked. "Thanks a lot, guys."

Those 1970s standards were "The Air That I Breathe," "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)."

Jamaica's Cliff was among the first to export reggae. His best-known songs include "You Can Get It If You Really Want," "The Harder They Come" and "Many Rivers to Cross," and he energetically performed each of them on Monday.

Haiti's Wyclef Jean recalled loving Cliff's songs so much he translated some of them into hymns so his father would allow them to be sung in church.